There are various consumer

brain–computer interface A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI) or smartbrain, is a direct communication pathway between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic limb. B ...

s available for sale. These are devices that generally use an

electroencephalography Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocor ...

(EEG) headset to pick up EEG signals, a processor that cleans up and amplifies the signals, and converts them into desired signals, and some kind of output device. As of 2012, EEG headsets ranged from simple dry single-contact devices to more elaborate 16-contact, wetted contacts, and output devices included toys like a tube containing a fan that blows harder or softer depending on how hard the user concentrates which in turn moved a ping-pong ball, video games, or a video display of the EEG signal. Companies developing products in the space have taken different approaches.

Neurosky NeuroSky, Inc. is a manufacturer of brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies for consumer product applications, which was founded in 2004 in Silicon Valley, California. The company adapts electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) ...

grew out of work in an academic lab in Korea in the early 2000s; the team used an EEG headset to control the speed of a remote-controlled car and their device also used

eye tracking Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research ...

to control the direction the car moved. The scientists initially intended to establish a company that would develop and sell toys, but when the company was founded in Silicon Valley, it focused mostly on providing devices and software to other companies as an

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

. In 2010, the company released a product called Mindwave with one contact, a processor, an application (and a mobile app) that could display the EEG signal, and several games and other apps; the included an

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...

so developers could create new apps using the data. In 2007, the Canadian scientist

Ariel Garten Ariel Garten (born September 24, 1979) is a Canadian artist, scientist and intellectual known for her work in integrating art and science. She is the co-founder and former CEO of InteraXon. Early life and education Garten was born in Toronto. ...

formed InteraXon with Trevor Coleman and Chris Aimone to commercialize her and her mentor Steve Mann's research on brain–computer interfaces, with an initial focus on output devices that could do practical tasks like turn off lights, control audio devices, or move objects. The company released a headset and processor called Muse with seven electrodes, with an app and an API. In the 2010s, French scientists Yohan Attal and Thibaud Dumas founded myBrain to commercialize their research, and worked with the Brain and Spine Institute (ICM) in Paris to create an EEG headset called melomind with four electrodes, with an app for stress management. Around the same time,

OpenBCI OpenBCI is an open-source brain–computer interface platform, created by Joel Murphy and Conor Russomanno, after a successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2013. OpenBCI boards can be used to measure and record electrical activity produced by ...

was founded by Joel Murphy to create an open source set of devices, processors, and software aimed at biohackers and researchers that incorporates other sensors along with EEG electrodes. At the end of 2020, NextMind began shipping their visual BCI which utilizes an EEG headset with dry electrodes. Founded by cognitive neuroscientist Sid Kouider, the company offers their product as a dev kit to make neurotechnology accessible to a wider audience of developers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comparison of Consumer Brain-Computer Interface Devices Brain–computer interface Pointing devices Computing input devices History of human–computer interaction